Global oil prices ………… sharply over the past seven months, leading to significant revenue shortfalls in many energy exporting nations. 

Every country has its own traditions, some of which have existed for centuries. In my opinion, we should do everything possible to preserve them. Some people think that in today’s high-tech world, traditional celebrations are too old-fashioned and (i) _______ to our lives. However, events such as Carnival, are important, as they bring communities together and make US think about other people and not just computers. (ii) _______ argument against traditional festivals is that they are expensive to organise. To some extent this is true, particularly when there are firework (iii) _______ or parades. On the other hand, it is a small price to pay for brightening up our lives with entertainment and colour. Moreover, celebrations like the ‘Fallas’ in my home town of Valencia attract many tourists and their money. Finally, although 1 agree that some traditional customs (iv) _______ their original significance, they can provide an opportunity for US to learn about our past. For example, Bonfire Night teaches British children about a particular period of their country’s history. To conclude, traditional celebrations are a source of great pleasure and interest, and they are certainly (v) _______ keeping

(iv)_____

The old version of the hula is the hula kahiko. It is a very melodic and sensuous dance, performed to bring (i) _______ to the senses. The dancers gently move their hips back and forth while singing and telling a story with their fingers. Hula kahikos can be funny fishermen stories, or very serious historical tales. (ii) _______ them were performed to entertain or praise kings or chiefs. But (iii) _______ serious hulas were religious performances made inside a temple. It was a sign of bad luck to make a mistake during a hula performance. Therefore, dancers were secluded inside the temple while learning the dance. They could not (iv) _______ by anybody, and were not allowed to leave until they knew the dance by heart and could execute (v) _______ without any mistakes

(ii)_____

Musicals are a wonderful (i) _______ of entertainment. While plays are theatrical productions which tell a story through written words of a script and are presented by (ii) _______, musicals are stories told with lyrics and music. In New York, many of the theatres where the famous and well-known musicals are performed are on or near Broadway and (iii) _______ that reason, the musicals are often referred to as “Broadway Musicals”. Some of the lesser known productions, whether theatrical or musical, (iv) _______________ also performed in New York, but these are usually performed in other areas of the city and are referred to as “Off-Broadway” productions. Some of the same musicals being performed in New York are also being performed throughout the world in major cities. And not all musicals are first performed in New York. Sometimes, shows open in London’s West End which is home to numerous theatres (v) _______ musicals, as well as plays, are performed with great frequency and regularity to full-house audiences.

(ii)_____-

I don’t usually play tricks on people, but when our boss, Mr Budd, bought himself a new hat, my friend had an idea that was impossible to resist. Every day Mr Budd (i) _______ hang up his hat in the hallway and disappear into his office. So one lunch time we went into town and bought two hats identical to Mr Budd’s, except that one was much larger, and the other much smaller, than his. When we (ii) _______ to the office, we took Mr Budd’s hat off the hook and replaced it with the large one. That evening he put the hat on and went home, saying nothing to anyone in spite of the fact that his hat was resting on his cars. The next day we (iii) _______ the small hat for the large one, and Mr Budd went home with it sitting high on top of his head. He looked a bit worried, but he still didn’t say a word to anyone. This continued for a few weeks. Sometimes we would put Mr Budd’s (iv) _______ hat on the hook, sometimes one of the others. Everyone in the office knew about the joke, except Mr BudD. Eventually, he got so worried that he went to the doctor, (v) _______ that his head was growing and shrinking day by day

(iii)_____

The town of Bunol in Spain is famous for La Tomatina, the world’s largest vegetable fight. The event takes place during a week-long celebration (i) _______ festivities and with even greater anticipation for the battle ahead. La Tomatina started during the 1940s, when (ii) _______ of friends started a tomato fight and passers-by got dragged into it. From that day forward, the fiesta has been celebrated annually and is expected to draw record numbers this time around. The reason for the fight has never been established and it hardly matters since the point is fun. La Tomatina has blossomed into a huge fiesta that coincides with the festival for the town’s patron saint. This is partly in an effort to draw more tourism into Bunol, and at the same time many more targets. The night before La Tomatina, the narrow’ streets are filled with tomatoes, and in a much (iii) _______ form than the next day. No one can do battle on an empty stomach so huge pans filled with delicious paella are on offer. Then, early Wednesday morning, shopkeepers set about covering windows and doors in preparation for the mess. Large trucks rumble up the streets to arrive in the square and be cheered by the 20,000 strong crows. Men on top of the tracks then begin the attack (iv) _______ soft tomatoes from the four comers of Spain. The victims retaliate against the trackers, each other, and anyone else that strays within their range. When all the tomatoes have been demolished, (v) _______ heads to the river to clean it all off.

(i)____

Dear Mr Hill,

With (i) _______ to your advertisement in the Educational Gazette, I would like to (ii) _______ one of the scholarships your Trust is offering to students who wish to continue their studies at a British university. I am 22 years old and have just graduated in English Philology from the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain. I am very interested in doing a Master’s degree in English literature. My (iii) _______ interest is the English playwright Arnold Wesker. However, it is almost impossible for me to study Wesker here in Spain, as he is not very well-known. I would really need to come to Britain. Unfortunately, the (iv) _______ of university fees in your country makes that almost impossible. I would also be living away from home. My parents could contribute so mething towards my keep but that is all. My level of English is good I passed the TOEFL iBT test last year with a score of 106.

I hope you will (v) _______ my application.

Yours sincerely,

(iv)___

Although the act of writing a book is by necessity a (i) _______ process, it’s often after publication that the sense of isolation is the strongest. Many writers long for critical feedback, but have little (ii) _______  to the average reader’s opinion. While it may be true that good reviews in newspapers and magazines can be gratifying, they’re of little help in establishing what ordinary people think of your work. So, well done to those websites where anyone with access to the Internet can post an opinion about any book. (iii) _______       this, these customer reviews are not without risk. Most writers can expect some glowing praise from family or friends but these reviews are easy to recognize since they tend to be sent in anonymously. On the other hand, visits to these websites can also result in great anxiety. It might well be the (iv) _______ that you receive an unkind review and there is no kind editor to shield you. You can expect most reviewers to be brief but there are those who write long, strangely formal essays, usually containing references to classical literature, presumably in (v) _______ to impress others with their literary knowledge. If you are a sensitive author, I suggest you think twice before you go off searehing for reviews on-line rather than in the safer, traditional places.

(iv)_____

Electric charges never stand (i) _______ , but flow from one point to another. This flow is called an electric current and is measured in ampere. Many modern electronic devices (ii) _______ use of electric currents in order to transport electric energy. In nature, there is also (iii) _______ stored electricity, which comes out and is released through lightning during a storm. Men have stored electric energy in huge power stations, (iv) _______ then transmit or send electricity to customers by (v) _______ wires. The electric energy used by customers is measured in watts.

(iv)_____

Scientific remedies are not the only ways people combat motion sickness. Ginger has long been used as a traditional home remedy to (i) ________ upset stomach. Now ginger being used to help alleviate the nauseous effects of motion sickness. Ginger root, taken in the form of capsules, has been the subject of studies on motion sickness and has been found to be effective in helping keep the sickness from materializing. Ginger root, consumed in its raw form, however, has been found to have severe irritating effects on people. The effectiveness of the capsules containing ginger root (ii) ________ to result from the herb’s acting within the gastrointestinal tract to absorb toxins and gastric activity. Ginger tea, cookies, candy and even ginger ale have also been found helpful in preventing and remedying motion sickness. Vitamin B6 has been reported to be a nausea (iii) ________ as has been aromatherapy. (iv) ________ all of the scientific and natural herbal remedies considered to be solutions for motion sickness, some people think that scientific assistance is (v) ________ little value and that keeping their eyes on the horizon, eliminating reading in closed quarters, rest, and getting as much fresh air as possible are better solutions for the balance problems caused by motion.

(ii)_______

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions: 

It was too late to stop the panic that had resulted from the false news report.

I have several good friends but I (i) _______ that my best friend is Ellen. We have been friends with each other since we were very young because she (ii) _______ next door to me. We have always been in the same class al school, although she has always been much cleverer than me. I don’t mind (iii) _______, because she often helps me with my homework! Anyway, I’ve always been better at sports than she is. I always beat her at tennis, and she doesn’t like that. In fact, she hates losing al anything and gets very annoyed if she docs. That’s the only thing that 1 don’t like about her. Otherwise, she has a great sense of humour and she’s always making me laugh. We get on very well together, although occasionally we’ve had arguments – usually about silly little things. Ellen and her family moved to another district last year, but I still see her a lot. We’re planning to go on a trip around Europe next summer, I’m really (iv) _______ to it because 1 think we’ll have a lot of fun and sec exciting places. Of course, it’s going to be hard -to afford such a wonderful and exciting trip, so we’re both going to get jobs and try to (v) _______ enough money for it

(i)____

As President, Grant had the task of continuing to attempt (i) _______ reunify the American nation after its Civil War. One of Grant’s accomplishments as President was the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution which ensured voting rights for blacks. Grant is also remembered as the President who signed the bill into law which created America’s first national park – Yellowstone Park. But financial problems throughout the land while Grant was in office (ii) _______ the Panic of 1873.

Grant was criticized for his indecisiveness, failure to lake decisive action, and inability to helo the American economy during the Panic, and in the next elections the (iii) _______  won more scats in Congress and look the Presidency. Several scandals occurred during Grant’s administration. Grant was an (iv) _______ man but had appointed loyal friends and supporters to serve in governmental capacities.

Some of his appointees were involved in the corruption. It is thought that Grant’s early business failures and lack of success in personal relationships with other military leaders and businessman (v) _______ reasons why Grant appointed those who had remained loyal to him and had been nice to him even though they were not political astute.

(ii)_____

 When you save energy, you not only save money, you also reduce the demand for ___________ such as coal, oil, and natural gas and that is a great way to play a part in saving the planet.

Think of a triangle when you think of the structure of the U.S. federal court system. The federal court system’s structure, when (i) _______ as a triangle, is easy to understand. At the lowest level, or the base of the triangle, are the trial courts which are called the District Courts. The next level contains the Circuit Courts of Appeals, and at the top of the triangle is the United States Supreme Court. Article III of the United States Constitution establishes the federal court system. The document provides for the Supreme Court, (ii) _______ court of the country, and the Constitution is considered the supreme law of the land.

The Constitution also provides that other inferior tribunals shall be established. The word “inferior’ in this sense means “lesser”or “lower” and even though the names or duties of the inferior tribunals are not spelled (iii) _______ in the Constitution, these courts have been established by Congress. The inferior tribunals are the District Courts and the Circuit Courts of Appeals. The Constitution also establishes special courts to (iv) _______ special types of eases. One types of special court is the court that deals with issues involving patents and one special court is the Bankruptcy Court. (v) _______, the Constitution explains that federal judges, who are appointed by the President, will serve during a term of good behavior.

(ii)_____

Penguins are usually dark in color, and have a white belly. These colors protect them (i) _______ other animals, such as killer whales and sea lions, which hunt penguins lor food. These animals often cannot tell penguins and water (ii) _______ When they look at the white belly of a penguin from below, they often mistake it for water. The dark (iii) _______ skin offers similar protection to penguins outside of the water. Penguins have a very special way of moving across land. They waddle; that is they make short steps and rock slowly back and forth (iv) _______ moving. They are mistakenly thought to be slow and clumsy, but in fact are very agile and (v) _______.

(v)___

(i) _______ history, women have always aimed for a recognized place in society. Guided by their own (ii) _______ of knowledge and expertise, women like Marie Curie in science, Mary Wollstonecraft in literary writing, Simone de Beauvois in philosophical existentialist debate, and Marie Stopes in medicine, to name a few, have brought about an awareness of the role of the women in any walks of life. These women have helped redefine and (iii) _______ the nature of women’s place in society. Today the (iv) _______  of global women’s organizations and the impact of women’s contributions (v) _______  society show that progress has been made and the progress in furthering the role of women in society has been some benefit to the individual woman. It is true to say that not all women have the same need.

(i)_______

The origins of golf have been debated for quite a long time, but the Scots get the credit for practicing the sport sometime during the 15th century. Reports dating back to the Song Dynasty as early as the 10lh century (i) ________ that the Chinese nobility also used (ii) ________ a game named “chuiwan” by means of 10 different clubs, a game which later must have been imported to Europe during the Middle Ages by Mongolian travellers. Regardless of these claims, however, it remains a fact (iii) ________ the game of golf players as we know it over a distance of 18 holes is of Scottish descent. Thus a golf course is a tract of land that includes up to 18 or 19 holes, but (iv) ________ less than 9. A hole designates both the open in the ground into which a golf ball is displaced, as well as the total distance from the tee, or the starting point, to the green, or the grassy area surrounding the actual hole, which is also termed a cup. The bar of grill of the clubhouse where most golfers meet at the end of a game is referred to in colloquial terms (v) ________ “the 19th hotel”.

(i)______

To many people the idea of graffiti has negative images and responses. If the drawings are done on surfaces without permission, it is thought of as vandalism. And in many instances, a crime. In most countries of the world graffiti, not only has negative connotations but is also considered illegal. One of the reasons is that graffiti is placed on buildings and property not owned by the painter. And where it is applied without (i) _______ , it is usually done quickly W’ith products such as permanent markers and spray paint. Historically, though, graffiti was important to the Romans because it was a way of expressing the knowledge they had as a people as well as a way of expressing their appreciation of beauty of (ii) _______      subjects. Today, tourists can see for themselves examples of ancient graffiti when they visit the catacombs in Rome or Pompeii. Modem graffiti is considered an art form, but it is one whichis greatly misunderstood by most people. In the 1970s, when the punk rock movement was big, many of the anti­establishment groups wrote and drew on walls and other surfaces to draw attention to their cause, group, or agenda. A lot of bands also used graffiti to (iii) _______ recognition and notoriety. For about a (iv) _______ of a century, from the mid 1960s to the late 1980s, graffiti was considered in its prime as an art form. In urban areas, graffiti could be seen on the walls of vacant buildings, on subway station walls, and on the subway cars themselves. Political activities used the medium to transmit their messages because it was an easy and inexpensive way to do (v) _______.

(iii)______

The professor (i) _______ the ancient symbol in the course of researeh for a visual history of the 20th century, to be published by the Trecca in Encyclopedia. The first (ii) _______ instance of its use, he says, occurred in a letter written by a Florentine merchant on May 4th, 1536. He says the sign made its (iii) ________  along trade routes to northern Europe, where it came to represent “at the price of” – its contemporary accountancy (iv) _______  . Professor Stabile believes that Italian banks may possess even earlier documents (v) _______ the symbol lying forgotten in their arehives. The oldest example could be of great value. The race is on between the mercantile world and the banking world to sec who has the oldest documentation of @.

(v)_____

I have several good friends but I (i) _______ that my best friend is Ellen. We have been friends with each other since we were very young because she (ii) _______ next door to me. We have always been in the same class al school, although she has always been much cleverer than me. I don’t mind (iii) _______, because she often helps me with my homework! Anyway, I’ve always been better at sports than she is. I always beat her at tennis, and she doesn’t like that. In fact, she hates losing al anything and gets very annoyed if she docs. That’s the only thing that 1 don’t like about her. Otherwise, she has a great sense of humour and she’s always making me laugh. We get on very well together, although occasionally we’ve had arguments – usually about silly little things. Ellen and her family moved to another district last year, but I still see her a lot. We’re planning to go on a trip around Europe next summer, I’m really (iv) _______ to it because 1 think we’ll have a lot of fun and sec exciting places. Of course, it’s going to be hard -to afford such a wonderful and exciting trip, so we’re both going to get jobs and try to (v) _______ enough money for it

(v)____